Storm Chandra Linked to Seabird Deaths on West Sands Beach

With strong winds and heavy rainfall, Storm Chandra swept across the UK from 26 to 27 January, washing up seven puffins and two auk — a small seabird found in the North Sea — on the shore of West Sands beach. All nine birds were found dead, and the West Sands Ranger Service worked to collect the bodies shortly after they were discovered. 

This phenomenon is not unique to St Andrews. Following the past few weeks of extreme weather conditions, puffin birds have been found, both injured and dead, all over the coast of Scotland. 

One puffin was found washed up on an Aberdeenshire beach during a storm on 29 January and was taken to New Arc Wildlife Rescue alongside eight other birds. It died later that evening, but rescuers were able to identify the bird by a ring on its feet, which was issued by the British Trust for Ornithology. It marked the puffin at 34-years-old, the oldest bird the rescue had ever encountered.

The recent presence of these birds is highly unusual. Atlantic puffins typically do not return to Scotland to breed until later in the year, normally between March and August. However, North Sea wildlife has faced increased challenges amidst the intensified storm conditions. A spokesperson from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Scotland reported to the BBC that “we are seeing an increase in dead, starving and exhausted birds reaching our coastlines.”

Per the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s last assessment, Atlantic puffin birds are listed as vulnerable on the Red List of threatened species.

Emily Burton, conservation manager at the Scottish Seabird Centre, told the BBC that seabirds in the North Sea were already facing “huge pressures” caused by climate change, stating that puffins “only return to land for a short period each year to breed, spending most of their lives out at sea, so finding them washed up on our beaches in winter is concerning.” She added,  “Seabirds can struggle to survive during periods of stormy weather, as it makes it harder for them to feed.”

Burton continued: “Changes to our oceans driven by the climate crisis, threats from disease, and unsustainable fishing practices can all reduce food availability or contribute to these tragic mortalities.”

Photo by Wikimedia Commons